The House on Wednesday passed a bill with broad bipartisan support that would force TikTok’s Chinese owner to either sell the hugely popular video app or be banned in the United States.
Republican leaders fast-tracked the bill through the House with limited debate, and it passed on a lopsided vote of 352-65, reflecting widespread backing for legislation that would take direct aim at China in an election year.
Sketchy Chinese data brokers: 👎
Sketchy US data brokers:👍Signed, Congress.
The Chinese data brokers don’t “gift” congresspersons “campaign funds”.
They quite literally are. Just not enough to pay for the influence liability that Tik Tok is.
Does that mean it’s just the Russian ones that do?
Russian apps got banned with this bill too.
Makes sense. They can control one and can’t control the other.
I don’t think they’ll actually control either.
Shutting down TikTok on US soil for 99% of people is trivial to execute and sufficiently effective.
lol yep. we constantly talk about how horrible tik tok is but the US government who is, of course, a much bigger threat to US citizens is doing the exact same thing.
How about let’s take care of the foreign power with a direct line to influence and collect from US citizens first. Then let’s work locally on the domestic problem. Protest, vote locally for those politicians who are on the same page and in the meantime STOP USING these companies products.
I simply don’t agree that kind of power is more acceptable in the hands of a country like China.
It would arguably take less effort to write a more general ban on apps and companies sharing, selling, and aggregating data on users than one specifically carving out foreign-owned companies.
Not doing that makes it clear this isn’t a “first step.” This is a blanket approval of the practice, but with “election year, China bad” thrown in.
Yes, any government access to user data can, and will, be mis-used, including Tik Tok. Opposing this bill isn’t an approval of Bytedance, it’s an opposition to the process.
I agree. That’s ALWAYS been what feels to me to be the correct path forward. But that’s not what’s happening, is it? So we would have to get our politicians to a place to make something like that happen.
I too can oppose the processes and have an additional thought. Why do people insist on making everything so black and white?
I totally agree with the start of this thread. I simply a stated it’s not the worse thing in the world for our government to start looking at where our data is going. Would I love to have the correct, best solution put into place? Sure. Does that ever happen in politics? Rarely? So fuck me for having a discussion huh.
in the meantime STOP USING these companies products.
Can you share this list? I didn’t know we had a definitive answer on everything to avoid that the united states government is using to spy on its citizens. Not sure how I missed that, its kinda big news that we got something that definitive.
What an incredible addition to the discussion.
Dude…you are the one saying thats part of the answer. So…help us. You have the knowledge of what to avoid. Share please?
I was referring to the social media platforms like Meta and TikTok. But you know this, you just want to be an asshat.
So you don’t agree with me? You think making sarcastic comments is the path forward? You seriously take time out of your day to start shit with a stranger on the internet who simply suggests we have the ability to try to change things for the better in this country?
Well I don’t have the time. Take care buddy.
So you don’t agree with me? You think making sarcastic comments is the path forward? You seriously take time out of your day to start shit with a stranger on the internet who simply suggests we have the ability to try to change things for the better in this country?
Responding to the edit you made after I replied. I asked you for further information on how to do this and its lead to quite a bit of anger and hostility from you dude. I haven’t insulted you. I have shown no anger. But you say I’m the one starting shit?
You’re an angry little thing, you know that? I was discussing how the US government is spying on us at all times and you came along and said ‘just stop using the things they spy on you with.’ How was I supposed to know you didn’t actually mean all spying? Just the tiny fraction of spying that is done through facebook?
Why are you so angry and defensive?
I would argue that this is the opposite order. You want to take care of the people who actually hold power over you now, China has no power over you.
Look at what the eu has done. First control and regulate the local companies.
Agree. I never said it was the correct first move. I meant it as more of “well here were are”. So first they have their eyes on where the data is going, maybe next we can work on the domestic data problem.
Just at the cost of setting up the American version of china’s firewall, right?
It’s going to be weird for the rest of the world to have access to tiktok, but just America bans their citizens from accessing it. America really just isn’t so far from what it hates.
It’s also strange to see people championing a path towards this, it’s all good until they decide to ban the thing you don’t hate though right?
What’s crazy is you assume I am married to what happened with this bill. Then you throw in some other stuff about this being the start of the great American firewall. You have any more stuff to pile on?
I’m SIMPLY saying we need to do some work domestically with our elected officials to get things where we want it.
But please, carry on with the thing you’re doing. Maybe those internet points can be cashed in for solutions.
Sir, this is a discussion platform. People leave text to have a discussion.
if you don’t want to, that’s okay. You don’t have to continue. Just don’t reply, you don’t need to leave a message like that, that’s just weird
Straight up using Chinese tactics of forcing a company to be majority domestic owned.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
The House on Wednesday passed a bill with broad bipartisan support that would force TikTok’s Chinese owner to either sell the hugely popular video app or be banned in the United States.
Republican leaders fast-tracked the bill through the House with limited debate, and it passed on a lopsided vote of 352-65, reflecting widespread backing for legislation that would take direct aim at China in an election year.
The action came despite TikTok’s efforts to mobilize its 170 million U.S. users against the measure, and amid the Biden administration’s push to persuade lawmakers that Chinese ownership of the platform poses grave national security risks to the United States.
When the bill was introduced, a National Security Council spokesman quickly called the legislation “an important and welcome step to address” the threat of technology that imperils Americans’ sensitive data.
The administration has repeatedly sent national security officials to Capitol Hill to privately make the case for the legislation and offer dire warnings on the risks of TikTok’s current ownership.
The latest bill has been viewed as something of a last stand against the company for Mr. Gallagher, who recently said he would not run for a fifth term because “the framers intended citizens to serve in Congress for a season and then return to their private lives.”
The original article contains 1,325 words, the summary contains 216 words. Saved 84%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
can’t believe people’s insanely smug reaction to this. the government is banning an app that 100+ million americans use and presumably enjoy. that is insane, full stop.
This is how bad the trade war and propaganda has gotten.
I have no hope for this nation or the useful idiots that inhabit it.
The government also bans drugs, guns, alcohol, smoking, etc. They ban things that are perceived threats to health and safety. It’s what they should be doing.
That being said, wasting their time on TikTok is fucking stupid.
Ah yes. Banning alcohol.
That went really well.
Ah yes. Banning drugs.
That’s going really well.
They aren’t banning a thing, they are banning a kind of a thing.
If they were banning social media you may have a point, they aren’t.
It’s not like there’s no reason to it. Don’t be so dramatic. You can waste time on YouTube shorts, Instagram, snapchat etc…
Rather not have genocidal dictatorships programming us
There we go. China wants everything to themselves, and America follows suit. Global economy gets split up, and global gdp falls to the ground. But worry not, the aristocrats will only see themselves stay in power over the stagnant masses.
This they could agree on?!
Free speech unless you criticize israel. That’s literally illegal.
America is a dictatorship.
and it’s not even a functional dictatorship; meaningful bills get held up in the wheels of power for ages and ages, but they have the will to pass this grossly authoritarian bullshit within a week. sick.
I don’t understand the argument that this limits free speech. Anything that people post on Tik Tok can also be posted on competing social media sites. How is free speech affected by this?
It’s funny that the only app being banned, is the app that young people used to have a dramatic effect on American politics recently, first by blocking the red wave, then by tanking democratic polling thanks to their support for genocide.
It’s funny that Twitter or Facebook, which is absolutely full of outside influence on America, isn’t banned. The Russian and Chinese bot networks can live forever there, that’s fine.
Silly of you to assume that that is about end user’s free speech and not the “free speech” of a company to release a product to market.
In all seriousness, I think hostile foreign governments have an interest in destabilizing the public discourse of other countries. I get the memes comparing data collection between TikTok and American tech firms. But the fact remains that the US government can reign in foreign influence of domestic social media, where as it has absolutely no control over foreign social media. The fact that border protection never extended to the digital space is in hindsight kind of strange. It’s also completely asinine to expect any sort of free speech on a platform subject to an authoritarian government.
Also it’s as free as China allows. The delusion of freedom is laughabley absurd
EDIT: Since it seems like some people lost the plot of my comment, somehow…
TLDR: Government sector in USA has 81% of the people in charge agreeing to ban an app, while there are kids being told they are too poor to afford to eat at a building that is mandated by the government to be there.
People dying from overpriced medicine and care? Nothing we can do!
People starving from companies overpricing their shit quality food? Nothing we can do!
People paying more taxes than companies, while those same companies pay little to NO taxes, while raking in “record breaking profits!!!” Nothing we can do!
Some app that allows the people to talk to each other, and to band together, about how shitty our situation is? An app that allows people to voice their issues of our government, freely, while attaining thousands and millions of views with like-minded people who are also sick of their government fucking them every step they can? BAN IT! QUICKLY EVERYONE, BAN IT BEFORE THEY REALIZE WE’RE COMPLICIT WITH EACH OTHER IN CONSTANTLY FUCKING OVER THOSE STUPID PEASANTS!
Seriously, guys. Can you think of the last time we had 81% of our house actively working together to help the people? I sure can’t.
You had me until the conspiracy theory about them banning it because it allows people to talk to each. I mean, fuck, there are plenty of other ways for us to do that that are effectively equally as popular.
The ban is a good thing because China is an autocracy. Freedom of thought is not acceptable there, otherwise you wouldn’t know what I mean when I say the great firewall of China. Their influence is already vast.
The US isn’t a beacon of democracy, but the distance between a flawed democracy and an authoritarian regime is massive. The US Congress is largely ineffective, but this is one thing they’ve gotten right.
TikTok, the popular Chinese-owned social network, instructs its moderators to censor videos that mention Tiananmen Square, Tibetan independence, or the banned religious group Falun Gong, according to leaked documents detailing the site’s moderation guidelines.
And to just further point out, because it seems like you ignored the first three sentences of my post, you’re fine with our government banding together for this singular app (lmfao) but NOT banding together to actually help the common people? What???
You don’t think their priority should be the former, and THEN we can worry about this stupid fucking foreign app?
You ARE insane!
I completely disagree with your reasoning. As I have stated above, all that I’ve ever been shown is some funny videos sure, but MOSTLY average people like myself who are constantly fucked by those above us all and voice their opinions, freely, on the app. I finally have an app where people aren’t posting pictures of their selves trying to pretend they’re happy. I finally have an app where I can hear others who think about the systemic injustices constantly bombarding us in this digital era.
It’s quite funny you say they got this one right, but they also allow censoring of our “news” stations here, and the content that is on american social medias. you do see that, right? So, it’s okay in your eyes, for a foreign app to be banned, but no restrictions for the apps that american companies deploy that also have a narrative to push? you don’t think this could’ve been a SWEEPING bill that includes ALL social medias? Why just this one? It has been proven that Russia and Chinese bot farms are swamping Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Why is this not something they care about? Truly, I want to hear this from you.
Why do you think they want to ban this ONE app? To prevent data from leaking out? What data homie? Millions of people crying out to each other that their system is rigged against them?
Are you insane?
I never said the bill was perfect. It is a good first step. Ideally all social media should be held accountable, but they are the ones who make political donations, so the chances of major overhaul are not all that great.
They want to ban Chinese ownership of the company because it’s politically popular, but it does also have merit. China can and will exert it’s influence to it’s advantage.
Tiktok might be a good service right now (…debatable) but it’s threat comes from being able to push China’s authoritarian agenda.
And insults have no place in reasonable discussion. Who’s mind are you going to change by calling them insane?
Nothing has to be perfect. It just has to work, and mostly work for the people. When it comes to laws, that is.
Now, let me understand you clearly. You still think that banning some silly little app, where probably in your opinion (since I take it you don’t use it for the “debatable” part) it’s just a bunch of people doing challenges or dancing or whatever silly shit you have in your mind of what’s on there, but you don’t seriously think there are just a little more important shit going on right now than some stupid app, who’s only authoritarian reach on me in the last 4 years is the stupid ads paid for by the shitty companies here in America, like KIDS being told that since they can’t afford to pay for their lunch, they don’t get to EAT!?
And you’re worried about a fucking APP?!
Holy. Fuck.
You seem awfully worried about it too
I am. Thank you for noticing.
It’s batshit crazy the people in charge are more worried about a fucking APP than people going hungry.
Do you not think it’s insane that a majority of the house voted for something so stupid, but they can’t even agree on wether or not a child should have to pay to eat at a building they are mandated to be at by said government…?
I suggest you reread my original comment. I added a TLDR for people like you who somehow lost the plot of the comment.
Meh
Cool. Now do it with other Chinese owned companies
It is already done. They are calling it TikTok bill as propaganda, in reality this bill is not specific against TikTok but to ANY APP/WEBSITE that has at least 20% ownsership from ANYONE which resides or has business headquartered in CHINA, RUSSIA, IRAN or NORTH KOREA *
* The list of countries is of course subject to future expansion.
What’s Reddit’s Tencent ownership percent?
11%
That’s a good list. I like it. Propaganda clearly works best we do something
Restricting how people interact is not how you combat propaganda. It’s how to set the stage for internal, more tightly controlled propaganda…
Good.
